EL SEGUNDO, CA — While many who follow the Los Angeles Kings were glued to the World Wide Web and Twitter to follow the news about what unrestricted free agents were going where, most notably, superstar left wing Ilya Kovalchuk (who is still unsigned as of this writing), the Kings were busy conducting their annual Development Camp for their young prospects, which began on June 28 and ran through July 3.

Three days of the six-day camp were open to the public and the media, comprised of a scrimmage game sandwiched between two practice sessions, featuring prospects ranging from those who have been in the system for awhile to their most recent draft picks.

“I’ve been impressed with some of these players, and, certainly, everybody as far as the work ethic,” said head coach Terry Murray. “It’s been outstanding with the conditioning level and what they’ve been through over the past several days, on and off the ice.”

“A lot of focus, a lot of digging in, hungry and they want to learn,” added Murray. “Attitude. It’s really coming along well. As a group, it’s been tremendous.”

Murray also took note of his team’s five 2010 draft picks, who were all present at the camp.

“All the draft picks seem to be really good kids,” he said. “They’re good people with good character.” Read more of this post

Frozen Royalty has been taking a much-needed break from hockey, except to sit back, relax and watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs on television. But during the respite, the Los Angeles Kings still made a bit of news, so let’s get caught up…

Dustin Brown: Finalist For NHL Foundation Award

On April 27, Kings right wing and team captain Dustin Brown was named as a finalist for the 12th Annual National Hockey League Foundation Player Award.

The award recognizes an NHL player who applies the core values of hockey—commitment, perseverance and teamwork—to enrich the lives of people in his community.

This is the second consecutive year Brown has been nominated.

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, June 23, during the 2010 NHL Awards. Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller and Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green are the other two finalists.

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